Question First time diving in Hawaii - Kona and Hurricane Kiko?

[Old Diver Guy]

I’m diving the first time in Hawaii on Wednesday (4 days from now). There’s a hurricane heading towards Hawaii and supposed to pass early next week (Mon/Tues). The storm is tracking SE to NW and will pass east of the Big Island. I’ve reserved a 2 tank morning dive on Wednesday. I’ll be diving with a shop out of Kona, east side of the island. I’m not sure how the storm will affect diving conditions. Mostly concerned about visibility. I know if it’s not safe, the dive shop will cancel the trip. I’m wondering if anyone is local or has past experiences that might help me decide if I should keep the reservation or cancel. If I don’t dive Wednesday there is a chance I can reschedule for Thursday, but after that I have no more time. Thoughts?

 

[grantwiscour]

I’m diving the first time in Hawaii on Wednesday (4 days from now). There’s a hurricane heading towards Hawaii and supposed to pass early next week (Mon/Tues). The storm is tracking SE to NW and will pass east of the Big Island. I’ve reserved a 2 tank morning dive on Wednesday. I’ll be diving with a shop out of Kona, east side of the island. I’m not sure how the storm will affect diving conditions. Mostly concerned about visibility. I know if it’s not safe, the dive shop will cancel the trip. I’m wondering if anyone is local or has past experiences that might help me decide if I should keep the reservation or cancel. If I don’t dive Wednesday there is a chance I can reschedule for Thursday, but after that I have no more time. Thoughts?

Keep the reservation and make sure the dive op has good contact info for you.
Check in with them and see if they have any info.

FYI...Kona is on the west side of Big Island. The dive ops are all good shops and run safe operations.
The viz may be stirred up a bit but still very diveable.

 

[Old Diver Guy]

Keep the reservation and make sure the dive op has good contact info for you.
Check in with them and see if they have any info.

FYI...Kona is on the west side of Big Island. The dive ops are all good shops and run safe operations.
The viz may be stirred up a bit but still very diveable.

I’ve been emailing the shop no their last response made me think to post to this forum. They said:
It's difficult to tell how visibility will be on Wednesday. Typically, when weather systems pass on the east side of Big Island, we have very minimal effects here in Kona, but it is totally up to you whether or not you want to dive. We have 35 different dive sites to choose from and we are usually able to find dive sites for our guests to enjoy on the Local Morning most days this time of year.

I’m currently planning to keep the reservation.